2016 in review

2016, what a year, I say. From a star of a T.V show and a self-made businessman, Donald Trump won the 45th president election, and in a stunning upset,the Chicago Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years. We  also lost many of the greats such as Muhammad Ali, Alan Rickman, David Bowie and Gene Wilder. The Brits voted for change,people reported Samsung Note 7 phones exploding and, Leonardo Dicaprio won his first Oscar for The Revenant. 2016 has been a crazy year.

Change, that was 2016 was all about. Two major political events dealt with change, Brexit and the 45th president for the United States of America. American and British people voted for changes , ending ties to bigger government and to take control into their own hands. Americans, elected a political outsider, a businessman. It is remarkable, that the elected candidate defeated not one, but two political dynasties, the Bushes and the Clintons with no prior political experience.  He was an unpolished candidate using his Twitter account irresponsibly, dare I say not. He was not perfect by any means.  But, his message was heard by the American people loud and clear despite it all..

2016 is the year of the old winners and underdogs, for sure. Peyton Manning retired with style, winning Super Bowl 50 as the underdog. The Broncos defeated the Panthers 24–10 in Super Bowl 50 as their defense overpowered the heavily-favored Panthers’ top-ranked offense and the MVP of year, Cam Newton. I lost a bet on that one.  In the NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied back and won after losing three games to one, became the first NBA team to do. This stunning win ended the Golden State Warriors historic 73-win season, disappointing many fans (including me). Same thing happened in the World Series, Chicago Cubs winning to the Cleveland Indians. A hard fought Game 7 landed the Cubs winning the World Series, first in 108 years (very well deserved since I don’t like teams in Cleveland)  2016 was also an Olympic year. Michael Phelps retired as the most decorated Olympian ever at 31 years old. One thing’s for sure, retiring athletes and underdogs is the highlight in 2016.

In 2016, we lost many influential people. One of the biggest athletes in the world, Muhammad Ali, passed away at 74. He was truly known for saying how it is provocatively and his great wrestling skills. Gene Wilder passed away at 83 years old. He was well known for playing Willy Wonka in the original “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory“ and singing “Pure Imagination” in the film.  We also lost Arnold Palmer, one of the greatest player in the world of golf. Palmer change the image of golf from “only the rich can play” to “all can play” using his humble background. To those who are wondering, yes, the drink “Arnold Palmer” is named after him.

Let’s not forget Apple removing the headphone jack, upsetting many users, but hey, more profit for Apple. Or, the time when people got upset over a killing of a gorilla and, actually got polled as a presidential candidate. 2016 has been an exciting year, full of suspense and drama. I wonder what the new year would bring? Hopefully, something good. Funny, how the year works. You wonder how the year has in store for you, and in the end, you are satisfied or disappointed. Those 365 days might seem like a long time, but it goes by before you know it. Next year, let’s strive to take more chances, make the days count instead, counting down the days. 2017 is just around the corner. It is a mystery, what kind of year we will living in. Maybe the Cleveland Browns will make the Super Bowl next year. Doubt it but really, anything could happen. But, at the end of day, it’s up to you to make the upcoming year your personal best ever.